Yamaha Drops Model Year Designation on Outboards

Yamaha Marine has eliminated the model year designation on its outboard motors, a move which may “help reduce the inventory control situation Yamaha's builders and dealers have faced in the past,” according to Kennesaw, Ga.-based Yamaha Marine officials.
Yamaha Marine President Phil Dyskow said the move means the “unnecessary burden to match the boat model year with the outboard model year has been eliminated” for boats packaged with Yamaha Outboards.
"On some products, such as automobiles, RVs, airplanes and most boats sold in the U.S.A., a formal model year designation makes sense because most of these products change from year to year,” Dyskow said. “Historically, it was common for outboard models to feature new components or changes once each year. However, improvements in outboards thanks to today's new technologies often means outboards usually do not change a single specified date.
“It has become obvious to us at Yamaha that the model year designator for outboard motors no longer brings significant benefit or advantage to the table for the consumer.”
Yamaha also says model year designations for outboard motors unfairly affect an outboard's value for the consumer during model year transitions.
"When a dealer placed an order during certain times of the year, it was possible that the dealer could take delivery of boats and motors packaged together with model years that do not match even though the boats and motors are brand new,” Dyskow said. “And worst of all, this inventory could include outboard models that are identical with the single exception of the model year designation."
The last digit of the model number for all previously built Yamaha Outboard motors identified the model year code. For example, the "D" in the model number F150TLRD represented a 2005 model year Yamaha Outboard.
The removal of the model year went into effect with all Yamaha Outboards produced from April 1, 2005, forward. As a result of this change, Dyskow strongly recommends that all boat builders and dealers manage their boxed outboards in inventory in a manner that effectively recognizes the order in which they were received.